President Biden 'has no issues' to have DOJ deal with illegal migrants: White House

On Thursday, November 4, the White House stated that President Joe Biden is "perfectly comfortable" with the Department of Justice (DOJ) dealing with illegal migrants separated from their families under the Trump administration.

White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told the reporters that the President is perfectly fine with the DOJ settling the individuals and families who are currently in litigation with the US government.

"Presiden Biden has no issue if it saves taxpayer dollars and puts the disastrous history of the previous administration's use of "zero tolerance" and family separation behind us," she stated as reported by news agency Sputnik.

Jean-Pierre made the remark a day after Biden told Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy that claims of the US administration giving $450,000 to illegal migrants separated at the border are "garbage" and "not going to happen." 

According to Jean-Pierre, POTUS was not contradicting himself and said that Biden was specifically referring to the $450,000 figure when he indicated it would not happen.

"The Justice Department made it clear to the plaintiffs that the reported figures are higher than anywhere that a settlement can land," the press secretary stated as reported by the news agency.

She responded after ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero slammed Biden's "garbage" remarks, claiming that the President will be forsaking a major campaign commitment to do justice for the thousands of separated families if he follows through on what he said. 

House Republicans presented bill against paying compensation to migrants

Meanwhile, on Thursday, November 4, House Republicans presented a bill to stop the Biden administration from reportedly paying significant compensation to each undocumented migrant separated under Trump's "zero tolerance" rules. The Illegal Immigration Payoff Prohibition Act, introduced by Tom McClintock (ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship), has 135 co-sponsors, including House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jim Jordan, and other members of Congress.

It should be mentioned here that President Joe Biden ordered the formation of an inter-agency task group for the "family reunion" along the southern border in early February, with a 120-day deadline for submitting an initial report. 

Image: AP